We stayed at this hotel for eight nights.
Our first impression was quite positive. The Biscayne Suite was very large and clean.

However, after the second day, we got the impression that this hotel is actually a combination of several small companies that have no interest whatsoever in each other's business or success.
Every problem you may encounter will always be some other department's responsibility.

I tried to make a reservation at the spa. The spa staff told me my reservation would be confirmed by phone before the end of the day. That never happened.
But communication didn't seem to be their responsibility.

The day after, I gave it another shot. A confirmation would be sent to my room. It never arrived.
According to the spa staff they did send me the message, according to the front desk communication sometimes goes wrong. Anyway, not either one's responsibility.

In the meantime I tried to get my spa reservation confirmed at the front desk. The only option by that time were spa treatments on our check-out date. For obvious reasons, I would need a three-hour extended check-out in that case. The front desk agreed, but only if I would pay an extra $250 for the late check-out.

SERIOUSLY? $250 for a few extra hours? (While I spent eight days in their largest suite). Especially when the reason for the late check-out were several communication screw-ups on their part. I didn't feel like I should do that, it wasn't even about the money anymore.
So I told the lady at the front desk that I did not want to confirm the spa treatment.

This triggered an unseen reaction from the same lady: all of a sudden, she cared about the spa's business and contacted the spa to find out if she could charge us any cancellation fees.
(Of course not, since the treatment was never even confirmed to begin with).
She was clearly disappointed when she discovered she couldn't charge me the extra fees.
The last time I encountered similar hostility towards guests must have been in Soviet hotels I stayed at in the late 80s.

We experienced similar situations all throughout our stay.
Customer service could shift from very good to terrible in the matter of a change of personnel.
One day the valet could give you a heart-warming welcome when you arrived late at night, the next day staff clearly felt they had better things to do than to take care of your car.

Same goes for restaurant, room service, cleaning, etcetera.
On the last day our room wasn't cleaned. Called the front desk, but after a certain hour, there is no more service available to clean your room. Nobody's responsibility, that goes without saying.

At the check-out, the lady was clearly uninterested in our experience and expressed this by yawning throughout the entire check-out process. We weren't even asked about the quality of our stay.
Of course we had to take care of our own luggage. The hotel staff probably had more important things to do, like ... looking out of the window. Again, no interest whatsoever.

I don't think this will ever be a perfect hotel. The location isn't perfect and traffic noise is quite a problem.
However, should someone competent ever take over this hotel and introduce a guest-oriented policy, there's much untapped potential.

Most problems you may encounter as a hotel guest get solved by hotel staff that primarily *understands* your problem and takes responsibility. Running a hotel is all about caring about your customers. You don't even have to solve the problem, you just have to care ... or at least pretend to.

Luxury was evident in the design but not in the service.

Upon our early arrival for a pre-cruise night we received a complimentary upgrade to a readied room with an overly large balcony overlooking the Port of Miami.

Upon entering the corner room, we were awed by the large windows and clean, sleek design.

The balcony of our ninth floor room could easily host a party of a dozen guests and not feel crowded. But only one metal chair existed on the expanse from which to sit and enjoy the view. Not the most romantic of seating arrangements.

The view was spectacular and on the morning of our departure we saw from our bed our Celebrity ship waiting for us at the port.

The bed was the most comfortable ever experienced. Absolutely wonderful!

The shower with a view of the harbor was unique. The toilet, like the shower shielded by a frosted glass door from the bedroom, does not offer much privacy no matter how intimate your room share is with you… it’s still awkward. (A rushing bidet helps conceal unwanted sounds.)

The closet... is the size of an average hotel room or NYC studio apartment. Walk-in closet is an understatement!

The pools are chic and relaxing. Unfortunately the hotel (a boutique in a condo high-rise) is surrounded by heavy traffic, including trucks from a highway off-ramp. Despite the pools' being 14 floors above the congestion, the cacophony filters in.

On the Friday night stay for our pre-cruise, the hotel restaurant and bar were both vacant at 8 PM. The head chef paced about the dining room. He seemed lonely. The bar tender was visible in the kitchen reading a magazine and not attentive to the bar when we arrived. We had one drink and retreated from the awkward emptiness of the bar / restaurant to enjoy the sparkling Miami night view from our corner windowed room.

For the high cost of the room a complimentary breakfast, or at the very least a Continental breakfast, would have been welcomed. But unless booking a more expensive bed-and-breakfast package or purchasing a full breakfast from the empty restaurant; options for a morning meal are limited to the gas station two blocks south or from the Bayside Marketplace several blocks further south.

The hotel is conveniently located at a stop for the free elevated train that serves downtown Miami. Also convenient is the short walk to Bayside Marketplace.

The hotel does not seem to be actively seeking cruise guests which is odd since this is the closest hotel to the Port of Miami. No shuttle to the port. No concierge assistance when I inquired about having a car or taxi called. We were told to go onto the street and hail one for ourselves. But we’re used to fending for ourselves. Others who wish to have everything provided would not be happy here.

Would I stay here again? Only at a discount or if additional services were included. There are other hotels in the area just as nice but offering more service minded amenities such as an included breakfast and concierge. Our stay was the result of a rewards program.

Overall; we enjoyed the luxurious accomodations but know that more value for the dollar can be found elsewhere in Miami and still get the 'bling' of Casa Moderna's modern chic design.

Loved the place, loved the comfy furnished front facing balcony room, loved the helpful friendly staff. Great pool and equally giant jacuzzis. Hated the view out to sea as we just arrived off a cruise around the Caribbean and simply wanted to do it all again. Great value menus too. Intrigued by the door less big bathroom and completely taken by the bathroom mirror which contained a mini tv!!! Also the English soaps and Norwegian voss bottled water very chic. Not a fan of the coffee by Wolfgang Puck - taste made me say something that rhymes with Puck. Mr Puck needs coffee lessons. Good wifi too. I'd read a few comments that suggested the staff were not up to muster - a tip if you are polite and decent then people reciprocate act like a nit and you'll receive it in equal measure ~ called human nature.

Huge room, very modern and nicely decorated. Beds very comfortable. Bathroom is basically part of the bedroom. No privacy whatsoever. Glass enclosed shower is alright but a proper door on the toilet would have been more to my liking. The vibe of the place is a bit weird. Half the building is condos/apartments and even the hotel portion felt more like staying at someone's condo rather than at a luxury hotel. Some people might like that. Parking is all valet. If you call 5-10 min before you need your car, we never had to wait too long. The balcony did give us great views of the harbor, cruise ships, and miami beach off in the distance, but there also is a huge construction project underway right across the street. It was kind of interesting to watch the crane and dump trucks doing their thing. My only real complaint, and it's not the hotel's fault but just a function of it's location if the noise from the traffic on Biscayne Blvd. If you're there on a Monday morning beware. It may have been because some cruise ships arrived and added to the traffic, but morning rush hour along Biscayne Bld was a mess. From 7 to 9am, there was constant honking of horns as cars were backed up in a traffic jam. This was worse honking than NYC or downtown Chicago. I wish I had my ear plugs. I couldn't fall back asleep and this was pretty painful after a night out drinking on South Beach. So would I stay here again? Maybe, especially if the price is right as it was for this stay. It is a convenient location for being downtown. American Airlines Arena is 2 blocks down the street and South Beach was just a $25 cab ride away. Just bring the ear plugs, make sure it's just you and the spouse in the room and you enjoy watching each other shower, and don't be expecting the Ritz Carlton.